Patriots Pre-Draft Need Analysis: Running Backs

The Patriots were one of the top rushing teams in football, so many fans wouldn’t feel that running back is an area of need. Look at the years of service of many of the contributors at that position, and suddenly the situation doesn’t seem so clear. With Laurence Maroney unable to lock down the feature back position due to ineffectiveness and injury, last year was a hodge-podge of Lamont Jordan, Kevin Faulk, Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis, Sammy Morris, and Heath Evans. Evans and Jordan have left, but Fred Taylor has joined the Patriots in their stead.Draft Analysis:With Taylor, Morris, and Faulk all on the wrong side of thirty and Maroney built like glass, look for the Patriots to invest an early second day pick on a young running back that they can develop into a Kevin Faulk down the road.

If the Patriots don’t feel that Maroney has a future at Gillette Stadium, they may even look at drafting a RB on day one, provided that they get the right guy at the right value. Trading or cutting Maroney, however, would incur a prohibitive extra $1 million in cap charge.